The PACWolves
by Roy Olsen
Summary: My name is Lieutenant Jeremy Kelt, Commander of the Orion Unit--a squad of Command Wolves that patrol the Helic Republic's perimeter at Mt. Hoploy. Little did I know that my future as a Zoid Pilot was about to change forever...
1. Monkey Business

Let's just say keeping a forty-six-ton robot quiet isn't easy. It's especially difficult in a forest filled with trees, bushes, and rocks. Steel feet the size of a small bed are not going to avoid the crackles made from crunching such obstacles.  
  
Over the last two years I had had enough time in my Command Wolf's head to know that stealth maneuvering was impossible. I wished I could get promoted to the Shadow Fox Brigade. Those guys somehow know how to keep their fifty-two-ton masses of steel quiet. Fortunately for me, stealth was not of importance this day.  
  
And what a fine day it was. The sky was nearly cloudless, with the sun beaming out in all directions. There was little shadow from the tall trees scattered across the mountainside.  
  
Driving was easy thus far. It was a simple perimeter patrol, with no reports of any negative activity coming from anyone else.  
  
"Oh-Dub-Two to Oh-Dub-One. Jeremy, what say we take a break up at the top of that hill. It's too nice of a day to be searching for bugs. Let's take a lunch." I'd been wondering when Kavid would get bored and break radio silence. He was an excellent soldier in the Republican Army, but endurance was not one of his finer traits.  
  
"Sergeant Deen, you will refer to me by rank while we're on duty, understand? As for a break, it'll be noon in thirty-five minutes. Lunch will take place then."  
  
"Ouch. I mean, yes, sir, Lieutenant Kelt, sir!"  
  
I didn't enjoy being authoritative to my friends, especially my life- long buddy Kavid, but I knew that respect was something a good commander insisted on. Besides, conversation on a patrol is recorded. I knew that as soon as we were off duty, Kavid would make me pay.  
  
My Command Wolf patrol squad, the Orion Unit, consisted of four Zoids. Our simple daily duty was to patrol the base of Mt. Hoploy. Although it did not appear of any importance on the outside, the mountain hid the largest sub-surface Helic Republic Army base on the edge of the Southern Frontier. It would make a delightful target for Forces of the Guylos Empire, who had long debated the Republic for these lands.  
  
Naturally, as Patrol Commander, I drove Command Wolf OW-1. No need to make jokes about what the abbreviation spells, I've heard them all. OW- 1 was armed with a long-range single-barreled cannon. Kavid piloted OW-2, the heavily-armed Wolf. It carried large double-barreled 250mm long-range blasters and needed leg thrusters just to get around. Its cannons were not something to be trifled with; Kavid was an excellent shot. Corporal Sifen and Private Mansod piloted lightly armed Wolves, OW-3 and OW-4. Their Wolves were old, but although they did not carry much in firepower, they were easily the most maneuverable Zoids in the group, even without leg thrusters.  
  
This was Private Mansod's second patrol with my unit. He was still in training under Corporal Sifen. Sifen was the ideal teacher. Although still just a Corporal, for reasons he wouldn't explain, he had seen more battle than the rest of us combined. He was also the best tracker in the entire base.  
  
Mansod showed enough natural ability, but his comprehensive skills were thus far disappointing. Plus, he was too darn perky.  
  
"Oh-Dub-Four, stay in formation." It was Corporal Sifen trying to keep Mansod in line.  
  
"Sorry, Corporal, I thought I saw something."  
  
Although under-experienced drivers always seem to "see something," I've learned that it was a good idea to follow any suspicious sign. Imperial Zoids were very stealthy.  
  
"Orion Unit, hold up." Our formation came to a smooth stop. I turned OW-1 around and trotted back to Mansod's Wolf.  
  
"What do you think you saw, Private?"  
  
"Um...well, kind of a white flash then a short streak of black. I ran a scan in the area but nothing was over there. Maybe the sunlight's just getting too--."  
  
"Unit, pull your Zoids around and head towards the disturbance." I'd seen this before. "Weapons and scanning systems at full power."  
  
Helcats. There was no doubt about it. Apparently the Private hadn't completed his research on cloaking Zoids. Whenever a cloaking device is activated, there is a brief flash from reflecting light, then a dark blur as the Zoid's image fades away. Helcats are the smallest Zoids equipped with cloaks, and about the only ones that can hide from view, with or without stealth technology.  
  
"Lieutenant, I've found fresh footprints over here." Reported Corporal Sifen. "Something had been sitting here a while, then took off quickly. I'd guess a Helcat."  
  
"No doubt in my mind, Corporal." I replied. "We were being watched." Looking down the hillside I saw a trail of Helcat footprints leading away from the mountain. About 500-meters away, new footprints were almost magically being added to the line, two-at-a-time. Kavid's Zoid was fifty meters behind me, so I couldn't wait for him. My single-barreled cannon was all I had time to use.  
  
I quickly jumped OW-1 over Sifen's Wolf, climbed to the top of a boulder and took a firing stance. It was almost too long of a shot for my Zoid's gun. The targeting system would help, but wouldn't be perfect.  
  
600 meters.  
  
As I strained to steady my Wolf's cannon, I tried to avoid the questions coming in from my fellow pilots.  
  
First shot... off by twenty-three meters.  
  
700 meters.  
  
The Helcat took a fifty-degree turn east and sped up.  
  
Second shot... looked like it may have singed the backside of the escaping Zoid; the tracks stumbled for a few meters then sped up again.  
  
800 meters.  
  
Aiming to the best of my ability, I gave the target a little more lead, and fired.  
  
A small explosion lit the mountainside as the cloaking device shorted out, followed by a red burst and puff of black smoke. The now- visible Helcat flipped and rolled twenty-five meters before it finally stopped.  
  
I couldn't help but cheer out "Yes!" It was a lot of stress, and I was happy. But I was thankful I'd shut my Comm off.  
  
"Jeremy! What the hell are you doing?" called out Sergeant Deen. I could tell he was pissed that he didn't get the shot.  
  
"Lieutenant, that was incredible!" cheered Private Mansod.  
  
Corporal Sifen didn't say anything, he just kept up a searching position looking for other intruders, as the training manual would require.  
  
"At ease, team, at ease." I wiped the sweat from my brow. "Sifen, Mansod, come with me to inspect the intruder's wreckage. Deen, stay up here and cover us. I trust you can protect us with your superior cannons from way up here?"  
  
"What is that? A joke?" Kavid huffed.  
  
Barely able to talk because of the big grin on my face, I ordered, "C'mon, guys. Lets go before the pilot gets away. Deen, relay the information to headquarters immediately."  
  
"Yes, your highness!"  
  
Our three Command Wolves approached the smoking wreckage of the Helcat. The shot apparently smacked the robotic feline straight in the butt. Somehow I knew that even Corporal Sifen was smiling about that.  
  
"Corporal, keep a watch around for any other intruders. Private, let's go see if the pilot is—-."  
  
In a dark flash, the ground erupted, spewing dirt and rock into the bright summer air...but this was no surface explosion. Something wanted out from underground. A massive fist and forearm punched up from below. Although straining to see around the flying debris, I knew exactly what it was.  
  
"An Iron Kong!" Mansod's cry of fear was no surprise.  
  
"Stay focused!" I barked. "Pull back and follow me!"  
  
Our Command Wolves sprinted back up the hillside. Behind us, the enormous robotic gorilla kept digging its way up. Climbing out of the new crater, it rose to its full height, nearly eclipsing the sun from our view. In a flashy show, the Kong took a step forward and crushed the Helcat with its foot. Raising its arms, it then belched out the loudest roar that I had ever heard. I should have taken that as a sign.  
  
At the top of the hill, we met up with Kavid, who spun around and joined the run.  
  
"What are your orders, Jeremy?" he asked.  
  
"That's Lieutenant Jeremy to you!" Oops. Realizing my blunder made me lose track for a moment. "Keep moving back up to a safer position and wait for reinforcements."  
  
"What reinforcements?" asked Mansod.  
  
My panic was delaying my thoughts, but I managed to clear my head long enough to think about what to do next. "Corporal! Call in for reinforcements! On the double!"  
  
"Yes, sir!" replied Sifen.  
  
Looking back, I saw that the Kong was ignoring us completely and heading full speed towards the main gate into Mt. Hoploy. Command Wolf OW-1 slid across the grass as it game to a hard stop and whipped around. The other wolves, surprised at the stop, ran a little farther but came to similar stops.  
  
"What are you doing, Jeremy?" asked Kavid.  
  
"We've gotta stop that thing from getting up the mountain and destroying the main gate." I ordered in as stern a voice as possible. "Are you crazy?" barked Kavid. "We're just a bunch of wimpy Command Wolves. There's no way we can stand up to an Iron Kong! That suckers' armed to the teeth!"  
  
"That's enough, Sergeant." I growled in a surprisingly sterner voice. "Prepare for Spread Eagle Attack."  
  
A couple "Yes, sirs." could be heard.  
  
The Orion Wolves raced back down the hill with my white OW-1 in lead of a wide formation. Sifen and Mansod broke off left and right, while Kavid's Wolf came to a stop and braced itself for long-range fire.  
  
The Iron Kong continued its ascent up the hill, and did not seem to even notice us--it had bigger fish to fry. I opened fire on the massive Zoid, nailing it directly on the left shoulder joints. No effect. Sifen and Mansod began their assault, making small hits along the Kong's arms. The Imperial invader didn't break pace at all.  
  
Kavid opened fire. His Wolf's more powerful cannons slammed into the Kong's face, smashing glass and cracking armor, totally blinding it with explosions and smoke. Finally the Kong was annoyed. It came to a stop and slowly aimed it's massive missile launcher at OW-2. Thundering screams echoed as the missiles began flying out of the launcher. Kavid's Wolf jumped up, fired its thrusters and sprinted down the hill. Although the projectiles erupted right behind him, Kavid managed to keep his Zoid from tumbling over itself. The Command Wolf's twin 250mm long-range cannons kept slamming shots into the Kong's face. Kavid's aim amazed everyone.  
  
The enraged gorilla slammed its right hand onto the ground, lifted up a clod of dirt and hurled it at OW-2. The Wolf swerved out of harms way, giving the Kong enough time to aim its left wrist blasters. Waking back up from my awe at Kavid's assault, I immediately broke off my useless shoulder attack and fired at the Kong's left hand. Luckily, the shots had just enough power to knock off the monster's aim.  
  
I could here Private Mansod screaming lame insults to the massive Zoid, and out of the corner of my eye I saw that he was moving in too close to the invader. "Private!" I called, "Pull back! Keep your distance!"  
  
"But I've got him now, sir!" the Private cheered.  
  
"Get out of there, now!" I screamed. But it was too late. The Iron Kong noticed the choice target, turned to its left and jumped at OW-4, grabbing the Command Wolf and lifting it into the air.  
  
"Orion Unit, open fire on the Kong's hands!" I ordered. The blasts hit the invader's fists, causing it to drop its prize. The smaller missile launcher inside its left shoulder opened and sprayed a mad barrage of projectiles into the air. Corporal Sifen's Wolf was hit and rolled across the field. Kavid dodged a couple of shots, but was eventually taken down. My Command Wolf jumped and dodged, barely escaping the wrath of the onslaught. The ground underneath me shattered as a missile hit, and my Wolf flipped onto its back, but good old OW-1 wasn't out of the battle yet.  
  
The Iron Kong closed its smoking missile launcher and picked up Mansod's Wolf again. Lifting it higher into the air, the Kong roared, and ripped the Command wolf in half then throw the pieces to the ground. Far from finished, it continued to crush the wolf halves in each fist, and then stomp on them with its feet.  
  
I had had enough. Raising OW-1 from the ground, I ran a short sprint and jumped at the shoulder of the Iron Kong. The gorilla attempted to knock my Wolf out of the air, but I opened fire straight into the Kong's eyes. I smacked onto the side of the super ape and slid down its arm. With its pilots most likely dead, and itself unable to see anymore, the Kong began smashing the ground with his hands, attempting to flatten my Wolf. Using skills I didn't even know I had, I managed to dodge left and right, back and forth, narrowly evading the enraged Zoid.  
  
Nothing lasts forever, though, and the Kong managed to knick my Wolf's left rear leg, causing it to lose balance. The Iron Kong's fist again slammed down, brutally damaging OW-1.  
  
I could feel that my left arm was broken, but I still frantically worked my Zoid's piloting controls, attempting to get it to move one last time. The Kong, flashing another show of strength, combined its hands and raised them over its smoking head, preparing to deliver the final blow of death to my crippled Zoid.  
  
After all the Iron Kong's roaring and all the blaster firing and explosions, I didn't think my ears could hurt any worse.  
  
Boy, was I wrong.  
  
The explosions erupting from the body of the Iron Kong hurt my ears so bad I went deaf. But before I passed out from the pain, I looked up and saw a Gunbluster walking towards the Kong, with its massive array of cannons ripping the giant ape to pieces.  
  
Hurray for the reinforcements.  
  
Then it all went black. 


	2. Team ReWork

When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Kavid asleep in a chair at the foot of my bed. Ugh. Not the prettiest image to wake up to. Before I even thought about where I was or how long I'd been there, I saw an opportunity and took it. Slowly picking up the pillow from behind my head, I squished it into a ball and hurled it at Kavid, smacking him square in the face. The poor guy awoke with a muffled shriek and collapsed to the floor. I started to laugh, and that's when it dawned on me: everything sounded... different. Kavid arose from the floor, but he didn't have the look of vengeance I expected. He looked more... concerned. "Are you okay, Jeremy?" he asked. But his voice was... tinny. "I'm fi—"I started to say, but then I realized my voice was tinny, too. And my ears hurt. And why were they covered up? It was hard for him, but Kavid explained that the explosion from the Iron Kong deafened me. I could only hear through cyberphonic implants. He seemed to feel guilty about it. I let him know that I blamed no one, and was thankful that I could still hear at all, even if everyone sounded like robots, now. Kavid still seemed sad.  
  
After a couple of days they let me out of my recovery room and let me walk around. The doctors seemed a bit paranoid about my health, but I know I can thank Kavid for my early release. When he wants something, he doesn't shutup until he gets it. Besides, I could tell that he was bored.  
  
Not surprisingly, the first place we went to was the cafeteria. The food was lousy, but when you're recovering in a hospital, you can eat anything.  
  
After our meal, Kavid took me to Sifen's room. Kellar Sifen was the luckiest old fart we'd ever seen. After all that battle, all he suffered was a broken finger. When we arrived he was still his seemingly morbid self. He showed a little happiness when we walked in, but that was about it. I couldn't tell if he was in pain or depressed or what. He was just...neutral.  
  
Harley Mansod was another story altogether. His raw-green attitude seemed to explode out of his body bandage. The poor kid was so wrapped up he couldn't move, but he was so cheerful I was almost scared. Still, I couldn't leave right away. Mansod was hurt the most by the Iron Kong. Half of his body was burned, over two-dozen bones were broken and he lost his left eye, arm and leg. If not for the glory of cybernetic technology, he would have died.  
  
Although I could still see the need for company in Mansod's eyes, I had to leave. I still wanted to seem strong to my team, but I was tired, and my ears hurt. Kavid ended up helping me walk the last thirty meters to my room. The last I remember of that day was the feel of my cheek touching a pillow.  
  
After three more days of recovery, I was allowed to leave. Sifen had left two days before. Mansod was improving, but still had a lot of recovery left to endure. My arm worked fine, but it felt achy and slow. My ears really hurt, but the cyberphonic implants were working about as good as my old eardrums. Kavid said he kept my old eardrums in a can for me. For good luck. I told him I'd just hang around quiet old Sifen more often. But even I couldn't believe that.  
  
That night Colonel Sared called us in to his office. Mansod wasn't physically there, but joined the meeting through a videopatch I wore on my chest. Colonel Sared had been in the Republican Army for almost forty years, and his office showed it. Its walls were smothered with pictures of him with troops and next to just about any Zoid that you could imagine. There were also medals everywhere. This guy had won everything; although, I noticed, most of the awards and pictures were pretty old...  
  
"Ah, at last, the Heroes of Mt. Hoploy!" The Colonel cheered as we entered. His grin was almost as perky as Mansod's, but something was...different. It's hard to trust an eager commander. "I'm glad you all survived the Iron Kong attack. Your discovery of that Helcat really did save the day. They had been spying on us for quite some time, and were drilling access tunnels in preparation for a full-scale assault." That just didn't make sense.  
  
"We still don't know how they learned of our base, but at least we can breathe easy for a while."  
  
Sared slid four flat black boxes across his fine wooden desk. "These are, naturally, Helic Republic Medals of Honor. I'm sorry we have no time for any kind of ceremony."  
  
"Yes!" cheered Mansod. I smacked the Videopatch.  
  
"Since you've all shown great fighting skill, I want the Orion Unit to start taking on missions for the Republic. No more patrols for you!"  
  
Sifen looked pleased, and Kavid was grinning. My leg started bouncing.  
  
"You will all be raised in rank. Lieutenant Kelt, you are now a Captain. Sargeant Deen, you are Lieutenant, Corporal Sifen, a Sargeant, and Private Mansod, well, we'll keep you at Private for a while longer. You've only been in the Army one year!" I could hear Mansod sigh. "But don't worry, Private, your road to Corporal has become much shorter. I know that your promotions make for a highly over-ranked unit, but for what you'll be doing, I want the best." Sared grinned and leaned back on his chair.  
  
"That brings us to our problem of filling the hole left in your unit by Private Mansod's injured status."  
  
I should have seen this coming. "Sir?"  
  
Kavid butted in, "I know of a Corporal in Engineering that--."  
  
Sared cut him off with a stare and slid a file over his abnormally fat desk. "I believe this pilot will be quite able to strengthen your team." There was that weird grin again...  
  
I picked up the noticeably small file and opened it. It revealed the picture of a young, red-haired woman. The name on the file? Katrana...Sared.  
  
"She just graduated from Zoid Pilot Basic Training and has shown immense potential." My leg stopped bouncing. "I'm sure heroes like you can show her the ins and outs of Zoid fighting?" His eyes were staring right through me.  
  
"Colonel, I--."  
  
"She is waiting to meet you in Hangar Three. She has your new mission orders with her." Kavid's jaw was hard as a rock. "As another reward for your victory, you have been assigned the new P-A-C Wolf Unit, or PAC- Wolves, for short. They're highly experimental right now, and need some breaking in. I'm sure you'll enjoy them. Dismissed!"  
  
Returning his salute, we quietly left him to his drinks.  
  
We made darn sure not to say a single thing until we were VERY far from the commander's ofice. Surprisingly, Sifen was the first to make a complaint.  
  
"I don't like working with relatives of the officers. It puts too much pressure on me."  
  
"Boy, you said it, Sife." growled Kavid. "I don't care how good she is, I'm just pissed that she's Sared's daughter!"  
  
I saw it in a different way. "I just can't respect an officer that sticks his family members in a respected Zoid Army Unit, just so the glory that they've busted their butts off to achieve rubs off on his family name."  
  
"Yes. That's exactly right." said Sifen.  
  
"Screw it. I don't care who she is. If she can't pull her weight I'm gonna make her sorry she ever joined the Republican Army." growled Kavid.  
  
"Just keep yourself cool, Kavid." I ordered. "Whether we want to or not we need to be careful around her. At least until we get to know her." Kavid looked dissapointingly at me. I smiled back. "But if she screws us up, I'll help you reprogram her ejecter seat functions."  
  
Kavid smiled right back at that. It was a reference to our Basic Training days when he had rigged my Comm button to eject me out of my Training Godos. I got him back by doing the same to his firing trigger. Good days back then.  
  
Hangar Three was connected to the east side of Hanger One. It was the only way to get to the Main Hangar from the eastern half of the base. Since it was usually used as a storage area, I never paid it much attention. But today, at the far end of the hangar, stood four Command Wolves.  
  
As we walked closer to them, Kavid's pace grew and he started running towards them. I felt that I should keep my cool, being a Captain now and all, but I could see Sifen was trotting, and I was keeping up with him.  
  
The PAC-Wolves weren't structurally very impressive. They didn't have any changes on the outside, at least. Their main colors were a very dark ruby-red and black, and their weapons were a bright silver. Still, as most Command Wolves do, they looked heroic, yet menacing.  
  
"Wow! Would you look at these babies?" called Kavid. "At first I thought it stunk that we were getting See-Dubs again, but at least we got pretty ones!"  
  
"They are apparently custom-designed for us." pointed out Sifen. I didn't see what he meant at first, but then I noticed that one Wolf had the single-barell cannon I liked, one had twin 250's like Kavid used, one carried missile launchers that Sifen was an expert in using, and one was basic.  
  
"Pretty impressive, huh?"  
  
I jumped. I was studying the Zoids so much that I forgot that other people might be around. The other person was standing next to PAC-Wolf number four. Sure enough, it was Private Sared. The red hair was pretty distinctive.  
  
"They don't look too different from your average Command Wolf, but what they lack in appearance they more than make up for in performance." she continued.  
  
Realizing that I was staring, more in confusion than awe, I figured I had better say something. "I am Lieutenant Jeremy Kelt. Commander of the Orion Wolf Patrol Unit." It was what I had always said. I'd only been a Captain now for about an hour. I was running on auto-pilot. And she knew it. Her eyes told me that she was not new to manipulation.  
  
"Really? You carry yourself like a Captain." She winked. "I'm Private Katrana Sared of the PAC-Wolf Unit, reporting for duty." She saluted me in proper fashion. I saluted back, but I was still running on auto-pilot.  
  
Was she beautiful? Yes. Did she carry herself well? Of course. Even Kavid and Sifen had forgotten about the PAC-Wolves. Then my internal alarms went off: I was making as ass out of myself.  
  
"Well, yes, it's nice to meet you, Private." I really needed to slap myself. "I hope you haven't been waiting long."  
  
"No, Captain. Just a little while. These new PAC-Wolves are quite impressive, aren't they?" She turned to Kavid, who was still staring at her. She winked.  
  
I figured that I had better get to introductions. "Private Sared, this is Lieutenant Kavid Deen and Sergeant Keller Sifen, also in the PAC- Wolf Unit."  
  
"Sirs!" She saluted them, they saluted back, and Sifen went on to check out the Zoids, but Kavid was still gawking at Katrana.  
  
"Are those our orders?" I asked, referring to the papers she was carrying.  
  
"Yes, sir." she replied. Katrana handed me the file. The orders stated that I was to drive PAC-Wolf-1, Kavid would drive PAC-2, Sifen PAC-3 and Katrana PAC-4. Much like the Orion set-up.  
  
After glancing at the orders, I gave my first command as a Captain. "Alright, PAC-Wolves, these orders are pretty vague. It seems that our first mission is to head out to the Helic Republic's new Southernmost Outpost on the far side of the ridge and, well, wait for more orders." Had I lost my ability to make any sense? "We're to take the Hoploy Ridge Trail and get there by tomorrow morning. No sleep tonight. Any questions?"  
  
Katrana was the only one to answer. "No sir."  
  
"Alright then, let's get in the cockpits and head out."  
  
"Do we get to eat first?" asked Kavid.  
  
It was gonna be a long night... 


	3. Tests of Strength

Wow. The smell of a new Zoid was incredible. The PAC-Wolves weren't just re-fits, oh no. They were brand-spanking new constructions, new Zoid-cores and everything. They smelled great.  
No way! They even had cup-holders!  
Katrana's image popped up on my new HUD—Head's Up Display. I really could see no relation between her and that ugly--.  
"So what do you think of them, Captain?" she asked, smiling.  
"What can I say, Private? They're new Zoids! It doesn't get much better than this!"  
She giggled. I never thought I'd ever hear a Zoid pilot giggle. "These are my father's babies. He's been developing the Plasma Armor System for twenty years now. They're going to be his greatest gift to the Republic. It really is an honor to be a part of his life's works." Was she telling me that or making sure I remembered it?  
"Well, I'm honored that the Colonel feels so highly of my unit's piloting skills (poor Mansod). As soon as we reach the outpost tomorrow morning we'll try to find some time to break these new Wolves in. Kelt out." I flicked off the switch for the HUD-Comm.  
I hadn't had enough time to think about that yet. We were under such a tight schedule we hadn't had time to really get the feel for our new Zoids yet. Heck, we hadn't even been able to read up any info on them yet. The Zoid's Database told me that P-A-C stood for Plasma Armored Command, but I didn't know what exactly that represented, and all details about it were restricted. They were ruby-red and black Command Wolves with shiny silver weapons, but what else were they? I was beginning to feel a little edgy, but also a little...hopeful?  
  
Our unit held a staggered formation, with Sifen in the lead, as we steadily followed the new Hoploy Ridge Trail over the pass. This trail didn't exist a week ago, but the Iron Kong attack opened the need for it, and the work of about four-dozen Spinosappers and Gustavs cleared it in only six days. The Kong's tunnel lead to caves on the southern side of the ridge, but surprisingly they were abandoned. The Guylos Empire left signs that they had been there, but for some strange reason they just took off.  
Lost in contemplative thought, I didn't notice that Sifen had stopped. I almost walked right past him. His wolf was standing stone solid and looking east.  
"You see something, Sergeant?" I asked.  
"No sir." He answered. "I smell smoke, sir."  
"Smoke?" I heard Kavid say. It was a surprise to me, too. My new Zoid smelled so April-fresh I wasn't even paying attention to any other odors. And the fact that Sifen could smell it from inside his cockpit baffled me, too.  
I filcked my HUD-Comm on to PAC-3. "You see any?" I asked.  
"No, sir. New moon tonight. But it's coming from the east." He strongly replied.  
Katrana's image popped up next to Sifen's. "It's probably just some campers. We really need to move along."  
Sifen shook his head before I could smack that comment down. "Permission to investigate, sir?"  
This was one of those times I liked being the guy in charge. "Granted, but I'm going with you."  
Kavid's image popped up and he was in a fit. "No way, Jeremy! I'm not staying out here with nothing to do!" I knew this would happen.  
"Lieutenant, relax." I said with a grin. "Take a position here with Private Sared and wait for communication from either Sifen or myself. I don't want us all going in if it is a trap. You're in charge out here. Out."  
Kavid grumbled, but my usage of the term "you're in charge" calmed him down. I knew it would.  
Katrana was curiously quiet.  
  
With Sifen in the lead we took a brisk but careful pace towards the smell. After about five minutes, we saw smoke for the first time against the dark night sky. It was snaking up in streams from behind a group of rather tall trees. I began to sweat.  
Forsaking stealth, we sprinted our PAC-Wolves through the trees and neared some enormous bushes. Soon a new curiosity could be sensed: sound. A metallic humming noise grew louder as we grew closer. It was very painful against my cyberphonic eardrums.  
Distorted or not, I knew I'd heard that sound before, but I couldn't remember where. And I was sweating harder.  
Sifen was about fifty meters ahead of me and his See-Dub jumped the last set of bushes. He then said something I've never heard him say before or since: "Oh my god!"  
My Wolf jumped the bushes and I froze. I repeated what Sifen said.  
We were standing on the edge of a large, dried-out pond. Many of the trees were destroyed around the edges and on fire. But the shock came from what was in the pond...  
Shadow Foxes. Three Units worth of Shadow Foxes. All massacred. Blasted, shredded, ripped apart. Most on fire, some already burned to a crisp. Some were painted Stealth black, others Firefox red. But all were...dead.  
I recognized some of the Stealth Unit Foxes. It was the Unit I hoped to join some day. That meant.... Teruce, Supey, Rick J. My drinking buddies...  
"This had to have happened recently, sir. Many fires are still fresh."  
Who in the world could have done this?  
"I detect no survivors, sir. Human or Zoid."  
Why would anyone do this?  
"We should call in Lieutenant Deen and Private Sared, sir."  
Why would they leave them here to burn like trash?  
"Should I start a perimeter defense, sir?"  
What on Zi?  
"Sir?"  
"WHAT IS THAT DAMN NOISE?" I screamed.  
Searching for that annoying metallic hum, I intended to blow it out of existence.  
Until I saw what it was.  
A severly damaged Shadow Fox still had its complete weapon's system. The ammunition-less gattling gun was stuck in a spinning motion, making a hungry hum. The pilot's thumb must have been stuck on the trigger.  
"Sifien. Call in the others and secure the area. I need to get out."  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Are you serious, Commander?" I asked the image of the Mt. Hoploy Operations Commander that was floating on my HUD.  
"Completely, Captain. The order comes from Colonel Sared himself." He replied. I pressed my fingers to my eyes and squeezed my nose.  
"Is there anybody coming to remove the casualties?"  
"All will be taken care of in due time. Please follow your orders."  
"Due time?" That was the straw. "What about the twelve bodies I have up here? I can't just leave them!"  
The Commander was stern, but seemed uncomfortable. "Again, Captain Kelt, that is not your concern. Please proceed to the Outpost. Base out." With that, his image disappeared and was replaced with mountain scenery, tinted orange by the color of the windshield.  
"Damn."  
When my canopy opened Kavid was waiting for me. I didn't have to say anything.  
"Damn." He said.  
  
"...and so we're to continue to the Outpost and abandon our position here."  
"What about the bodies?" asked Katrana.  
Sometimes I hated this job. The hell with what base ordered. If they weren't going to do anything about them, I would.  
"We're gonna bury them."  
"Yes, sir."  
  
We were all exhausted. Most of us hadn't slept in over twenty-three hours. It was very late at night, and we had all just completed very strenuous—both physically and emotionally—work. I ordered everyone to take a quick power nap before we moved on.  
I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about what had happened today.  
I heard a tapping on my Zoid's windshield and popped it open. It was Sifen  
"Excuse me, sir." He said, rather somberly.  
"What's on your mind, Kellar?"  
"This doesn't make sense to me, sir. Why would the Republic have no interest in recovering fallen pilots?"  
"I can't say. But Colonel Sared doesn't want to take care of it now. I checked with the Operations Commander, and we're the only Unit outside of the Base or Outpost tonight, except for some Gustavs that can't get to here. I guess they want to wait until morning when more Units will be available."  
"Yes, sir."  
"Get some sleep, Sergeant."  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Just as I started to doze off, a small orange light started flickering in the corner of my eye. It was the Motion Detector. Something else was out there.  
"Everybody, get up!"  
Kavid's Wolf growled and Sifen opened his Wolf's missile launchers. Katrana's Cannons started to glow as they warmed up. Good. Everyone was awake. The Detector said something was in the brush ahead. Time to flush it out.  
I opened and closed my Wolf's mouth two times. Kavid caught the clue and ran towards the trees. Kavid, Sifen and I had mastered a lot of motion commands together. I knew Katrana was confused, but she was new. The rest of us were a team. She'd learn our signals someday.  
As soon as PAC-Wolf 2 disappeared into the tree line, a flurry of laser blasts shrieked out. When they stopped, a burning Rev Raptor ran out from the brush and straight into a laser barage from Sifen. It blew to pieces.  
"Look out!" cried Katrana.  
Another barely visible, burn-black Rev Raptor fell from the new moon sky, smacking hard onto my Zoid. Its claws began an insane slashing assault. Sifen's cannons knocked it thirty meters off of me.  
Kavid returned from the trees, being chased by three more Raptors. I could now see that there were Rev Raptors coming out from everywhere around us!  
"Form a defensive position!" I ordered. What was going on?  
Our Unit formed a circle and started picking off targets. More and more of the burn-black slasher-Zoids trotted out from the trees and brush. Our cannons were in constant fire, but Sifen was wise in not wasting his missiles on such small targets.  
"Where are these things coming from?" asked Katrana.  
"Who cares?" replied Kavid. "It's like shooting fish in a barrell!"  
A huge wall of dead Rev Raptors, obviously all sleepers, began piling higher and higher around us. But the Zoids kept coming, crawling over their fallen brethren and quickly adding to the wall's height. They just wouldn't stop!  
Then, as if on cue, there were no more. They stopped coming. We couldn't see if there were any more, because the wall obstructed view in any direction.  
"What was the point of that?" said Kavid.  
No more sounds, save the crackling of burning Rev Raptors could be heard. There weren't even any wildlife sounds. It was dark. It was quiet. I was starting to feel cold.  
"Captain," said Sifen, making me jump, "should I climb atop the Raptor carcasses and see if there are any more around?"  
"Y-yes, Sergeant. Please do."  
But as soon as Sifen took one step, a thruster roar started growing louder and louder. I couldn't tell where it was coming from. It stopped instantly and was followed by a loud, metallic thud!  
"Sifen, what was that?" asked Kavid.  
"I can't tell, sir. Electrical interference from the burning Rev Raptors is blocking all scanners." Maybe that was the point of the wall? To block vision and scanners? Flat wap! wap! sounds were could be heard, followed by hissing and humming sounds...and it was getting lighter out.  
I didn't need Zoid Basic Training to know what those sounds meant.  
"Charged Particle Gun! Move! Move! Move!" I screamed.  
Our four PAC-Wolves lept out of the ring of dead Raptors just as a massive, sizzling white stream of ionized plasma shot through. The Raptors were either erased from existence or erupted in violent explosions. The Wolves were launched into the air.  
Sifen and Katrana's Wolves crashed into the Shadow Fox Graveyard. Kavid flew out over some trees and I smashed down onto a grassy knoll.  
Considering how much of a pounding my Wolf took, I found the crash surprisingly non-violent. The PAC-Wolf seemed to absorb a great deal of the kinetic energy from the crash. Was that what the Plasma Armor could do?  
Since I still had my senses, I looked out the canopy window and could see nothing but faint orange-tinted stars and trees. Rain drops began to patter on the canopy, making my view even worse.  
I could see a faint red eye flash, about ninety meters away. It was looking at me. And I knew what it was, now:  
Geno Saurer.  
My Command Wolf stood up, but difficultly. Its systems were all okay, amazingly. But was it...scared? Sometimes I forget that Zoids are living creatures.  
The Saurer crouched down, ducked its head and fired its twin cannons. PAC-1 tried to jump, but energy moves faster than reflexes. The shots smacked the Command Wolf hard, knocking it to the dirt and pushing it backwards.  
I figured it had to be over for me now, but when I checked the control panel, I was shocked. Absolutely no damage was done. Armor strength was still one hundred percent!  
The Geno screamed a roar of disapproval, took a step forward and started firing again. The volley of blasts joined the rain in crashing down upon my Zoid. A small crater formed around it from the energy shells that missed.  
When the attack stopped, my PAC-Wolf was half-buried in the mud. The Zoid's metal was so hot the rain drops sizzled into steam as they hit.  
I could hear the Geno Saurer's roars as I layed beneath the cloud of steam. I felt...fine. No damage was done. It didn't make any sense. How powerful was this Plasma Armor?  
But I wasn't going to push my luck.  
"Kavid, cover fire!" I called.  
PAC-Wolf 1 lept from the mud and ran towards Kavid's crash site. I figured that if I was okay, then he was okay. Sure enough, PAC-Wolf 2 emerged from the brush and opened fire on the Geno Saurer.  
My Wolf slid to a stop beside Kavid's and joined the fire on the Geno. The Saurer was really screaming in a confused rage now. Who was piloting that thing? Should I even try to talk to him?  
Then I remembered some priorites.  
"Kavid, keep it busy. Don't let it use its C-P-G! I'm going to find Sifen and Katrana!"  
"Uh...no problem, Jeremy."  
My Wolf ran past the Geno Saurer, and I was happy that every one of Kavid's shots were nailing the head. Kavid was good. Sifen's Wolf ran past me, back towards the Saurer, and was opening its missile panels. Good, Sifen was okay. Even Kavid wasn't good enough to fight a Geno Saurer by himself.  
I found PAC-Wolf 4 lying on its side at the far end of the pond. I flicked on my HUD-Comm and tried to talk calmly.  
"Private Sared, can you hear me?" I could hear missiles launching. "Katrana, report!" Explosions, then cannon fire. "Ugh...Captain? Captain is that you? Loud stomping, roaring. "Yes, Private. Are you able to go into battle?" Whipping and crashing sounds. "Huh? Oh...yes. Yes, sir." More stomping, Wap! Wap! "Good, I need you to give us cover while we pull back. Understand?" Crackling sounds and light. "Yes, sir! You can count on me! A weak cry from Kavid. "Get outta there, Jeremy!" White. 


	4. Betrayals

I had always been fairly proud of my life. I wasn't very old, but I'd tried to accomplish everything that I knew I'd be proud of. I sometimes failed, but I sometimes succeeded. That's what made it all worth trying for.  
Ironically, as my life passed before my eyes with my vision bleached in the burning white energy, I was pissed off. I was being robbed of one of the most important victories I could ever imagine: I wanted to kick that Geno Saurer's ass.  
My eyes and ears sorely hurt, but as the seconds passed, I realized something very important: I wasn't dying. The crackling and flashing of ionized plasma was on the outside of the Command Wolf's cockpit; it wasn't breaking through.  
I couldn't see the controls to know if the systems were okay, but there were no warning sirens. I heard the windshield crack from the stress, but it wasn't breaking. Plasma Glass?  
The charged particle blast began to clear, and a blurry vision returned to me. I could hear tree branches break behind me, and vaguely see them fly past the canopy. My Zoid was flying backwards, crashing through the forest and tearing a hole through the trees. And it would have to land, eventually.  
Barely able to see them, I felt for the PAC-Wolf's controls. Once I had them in my grasp, I adjusted the See-Dub's legs to try to soften the landing. It didn't work.  
The Command Wolf landed on its rear legs and skidded across the grass and brush. I managed to bring the front legs down, but it was a waste of time. As soon as the front legs touched dirt, the rear legs tripped over some boulders, flipping PAC-1 onto its back and continued the skid on the turret cannon, which was amazingly still attached.  
Now that I could sort of see where I was going, I closed my eyes and ducked when the Zoid's head smashed into the hillside.  
  
How long was I out? I had no idea, but I awoke for the second time in a month looking at Kavid's ugly face. At least it was blurry. Having popped open the canopy via the rescue lever, he was trying to pull me out into the stormy night.  
"Ka...Kavid?" I weakly asked.  
"Shut up, Jeremy. We've got to get you out of here." He ordered. He was wet. Now I was getting wet. Of course there was lightning dancing in the sky behind him.  
I could see a silver and gray Gustav sitting in the distance. It had PAC-2 and PAC-3 standing on its trailers. Kavid started carrying me to it.  
  
I managed to whisper out one more question, "Where is...PAC- 4?" but Kavid didn't answer. Then I fell asleep again.  
  
I awoke lying on the ground under a tent, with only a wet tarp to cover me. Some rations were next to me, as well as a full canteen. There were a lot of questions burning me, but I figured that I had better eat while I had the chance.  
About halfway through my meal, Kavid poked his not-so-ugly-right-know mug into the tent. I thought he looked worried before, but now...  
"Jeremy. I'm really glad to see you're okay." He leaned back out of the tent and called out Sifen's name. He walked in and sat down. "We need to talk." Sifen walked in, but I couldn't read him. He was still emotionless. He sat near the entrance and kept an eye out.  
There were two questions that had to be asked first: "Where are we, and how long was I out?"  
"We're at the Helic Outpost. You were out for about nine hours." Answered Kavid.  
"The Outpost? Why didn't we return to Mt. Hoploy?" I put down my meal.  
"We don't think that it would be in our best interests to go back to the Mt. Hoploy base right now, sir." Said Sifen. He took a look outside.  
"What? Why? Kavid, what happened in that battle? How did I survive? Where is Katrana?"  
Kavid raised his hand to silence me. "Look, bud, I think the best way to answer your questions is to just tell you what happened after your were shot."  
Sifen stood up. "I'll keep watch outside." He stepped out, but I could see his sunlit silhouette standing by the entrance.  
Kavid took a drink from my canteen, then started. "As soon as you ran off to help Katrana, the Geno went nuts. My fire couldn't hold it back, and Sifen's missiles were meaningless. It flew at me, thrashed me with its tail and sent me into the trees. Sifen says it then spun around and blasted him. Neither one of us were hurt, but that gave the Geno enough time to set up for a charged particle blast to knock you a good fifty kilometers away."  
Kavid looked at the entrance, took a breath and continued. "Katrana didn't do anything. She just stood there. We didn't know if she was scared or what. So Sifen and I focused on taking out the weapons. That thing couldn't hurt the PAC-Wolves. We eventually managed to blow the Geno's jaw and cannons off, and that seemed to scare it into retreat. The pilot seemed...green. But before we could start firing at the thrusters, we were shot."  
Kavid's pause left me anxious. "By what? The Geno?"  
"By Katrana." Feeling confusion and anger at the same time is a very annoying experience. Now I really wanted to know where she was. "She kept shooting at us, giving the Geno enough time to fly away, and then took off after it. We didn't chase her because we knew you weren't dead, and we wanted to find you. Luckily, my friend from Engineering, Bruno Saltus--you know him--was bringing a load of supplies to the Outpost along the trail. We hitched a ride on his Gustav and he helped us find you." Kavid had answered a lot of my questions, but new ones were forming. "Then what's with all the secrecy around here, Kavid? What are you afraid of?" Kavid leaned forward and stared hard at me. "Don't you get it, Jeremy? Colonel Sared set us up! Major Bartel--the officer in charge out here-- didn't even know that we were coming! We weren't supposed to make it! Sared stuck his daughter in our group as a safeguard, to make sure we lost the PAC-Wolves in the fight! But we beat the Geno Saurer and forced them to split! If we go back to Hoploy, Sared will throw us into the brig for whatever reason he can think up. And quite honestly, I don't even think we should be out here at the Outpost! Sared wants us dead and now we've humiliated him. We've got to leave, pal. I've told Bruno our situation and he'll help us. He's never liked the Colonel anyway." I was too dumbfounded to respond. I never thought I'd see the day where Kavid would deduce something before me. Sifen leaned back into the tent. "Something is happening. The Outpost Zoids are all mobilizing."  
  
Walking out of the tent I got my first glimpse of the Outpost. It was a small—in Zoid terms—base of about ten acres. Tents were spread out all over. A pre-fabricated tower—meaning its structure pieces were factory- built, then re-assembled out here, much like a model kit—was standing on the north side. It was only ten meters tall, just enough to clear the trees. But there were Zoids everywhere. The majority of them were Spinosappers and Gustavs, the Zoids that cleared the trail. Godos' and a couple Command Wolves were also in the fenced-off Outpost area. To my surprise, there was also a Liger Zero. That must have been Major Bartel's trump card—his sure- fire protector. Close to my tent sat Bruno's Gustav, still carrying the three PAC-Wolves on its trailer. I could see Bruno cleaning its windshield, look at me, smile, then start to put his tools and cleaners away. He knew what was going on, and was just waiting for us. Would Kavid's friend remain loyal to us? I knew him, but not as well as I would have liked. A Godos walked up to the tent and popped its canopy open. Its pilot stood up. I could tell from his rank insignia that it was Major Bartel. "Captain Kelt, I am Major Niles Bartel, Commander of the Helic Republic's Southernmost Frontier Outpost. I am ordered to take you and all of your Unit's members into custody, by order of Colonel Sared of the Mt. Hoploy Southern Frontier Command Center. I'm sorry, Captain." "Might I ask as to the grounds of this arrest?" I scratched my left ear, and Kavid started walking towards Bruno's Gustav. But Bartel noticed, too. "I am not authorized to answer you at this time. Please detain your Unit- member." With that, Kavid sprinted for the PAC-Wolves, and Sifen and I quickly joined him. Bruno jumped into the Gustav's cockpit and the Major closed his Godos' canopy and opened low power stun-fire on us. Six more Zoids came running up on us, from all directions. Bruno shot two Spinosappers but the Command Wolf dodged his fire. The Major's Godos ran for cover by the tower. The Gustav's engine started and pulled forward. Spinosappers ran to the trailers and their chainsaws tried to cut into the PAC-Wolves' armor, but did no harm. Kavid, Sifen and I climbed up utility ladders onto the rolling trailers and jumped into the cockpits of the PAC-Wolves. I could see that PAC-1 wasn't looking as good as the others, a bit burnt and cracked, but could still hold itself up. Heavier shots started coming in, and one almost fried Sifen. Apparently they weren't trying to stun us anymore. Once in the cockpits, we activated the Wolves, causing them to sing that beautiful growl of theirs. The fire from the Outpost Zoids caused the See- Dubs to shake, but being latched onto the trailers, they held. Then Bruno popped the latches loose. The PAC-Wolves leapt off the Gustav and sprinted in three directions. I didn't call for a strategy here. This was just a "knock-'em-down-and –get- outta-here" attack. The weak Godos' and Spinosappers couldn't stop us. We plowed through them with ease. The Command Wolves dodged a few of our shots, but with Kavid's awesome firing capability, they didn't last long. One of them did crash into a tent. Thankfully it was empty. Sifen open fire on the tower, and it crashed down with an impressive clang...right on top of Major Bartel's fleeing Godos. That only left the Liger Zero. Our PAC-Wolves formed a small line at the southern end of the Outpost, with Kavid on my left and Sifen on my right. The Liger had been preparing for this. Ligers are best at one-on-one fighting, and this Liger was waiting for us to clean up the scatter-bugs before it took us out to lunch. Inside the fence line, it almost felt as if we were in some kind of arena. This was almost...kind of...fun? My Comm beeped, but I wasn't going to give the Liger pilot the luxury of visual communication. I flipped up the "Audio-Only" switch. "Captain Jeremy Kelt," he started, rather dryly, "I am Lieutenant Danis Jundar of the Helic Republic. You are ordered to surrender yourself and your unit and come with me back to the Mt. Hoploy Command Center. If you show any resistance, I am authorized to use any force necessary to arrest you." I don't usually find myself a cocky guy, but I couldn't help but smirk at that generic threat. "Liger Pilot," I responded, "Please don't escalate this problem. We are fully willing to return for Republic Trial, but not at this time, and definitely not to Mt. Hoploy. Please let us be. We don't want to hurt you." I knew that last sentence would throw nails. "You have been warned." The Comm beeped off. The Liger growled, and I'll admit, the growl of a Liger will send chills down my spine. Lowering its head, the Zero began sidestepping to the left, making sure we were always in view. I knew Kavid and Sifen were waiting for a signal from me. When my Wolf's left paw dragged some dirt, they new. PAC-2 ran right, PAC-3 ran left, crisscrossing in front of PAC-1. As the Liger watched my teammates' movements, I opened fire and made a hard sprint at the Zero. My shots smacked the robotic lion in the face, but weren't doing much harm. I broke right. Kavid and Sifen fired their boosters and flanked the Liger from both sides, nailing its mid-section hard. But it wasn't enough. Despite the well-performed "Broken Heart Maneuver" the Liger was still standing and started its own attack. It popped open its boosters and made a run at me. Its better speed allowed it to jump over me, spin around and pound me with its shock cannon. I crashed into some broken Spinosappers. I should have remembered: you don't become a Liger pilot without being really, really good. Re-firing its boosters, the Zero easily dodged Kavid and Sifen's fire, and its shock cannon sent Sifen flying into the fence. When it started its run at Kavid, its right leg began to glow. "Kavid! It's charging its Strike Laser Claw!" I warned, but it was too late. The Liger Zero leapt into the air and raised its paw. Its massive size gave Kavid nowhere to run. The lion's hand slashed down at PAC-2...and exploded. PAC-2 was knocked onto its belly and the Liger was sent flying in a clockwise spin off of the Command Wolf. It crashed to the ground and rolled into the wreckage of the pre-fab tower. Its paw was gone, replaced with sparking circuits and burning smoke. "Kavid! Are you okay?" I cried, but I knew the answer. "Yeah, I'm fine. Dude, that was incredible!" "Yeah, it sure was." Was the Plasma Armor truly invincible? PAC-1 had survived a Charged Particle Gun, received a bit of damage, but was still in great shape, and now PAC-2 had survived a Strike Laser Claw assault! But I felt more guilt than glory. I had betrayed the Republic, and hurt fellow soldiers. I swore to myself that I would pay for my crimes, but only after Colonel Sared had paid for his. The first thing to do, however, was to find Katrana. 


	5. Shall We Dance?

Katrana's position wasn't hard to find. The tracking beacon, hidden deep within PAC-4's body, sent a highly encoded signal that very few hackers inside or outside of the Republican Army could break.  
One of them was Sifen.  
The signal was strong and clear, coming about three hundred kilometers southeast of the Southernmost Outpost, smack dab in the middle of the Cengari Desert.  
The Guylos Empire used to have its own outpost down there, about fifteen years ago. Why they would place an outpost in such a wasteland was beyond anybody in the Republic's mind. It was eventually just abandoned, but not by order of the Emperor. The guards just stopped checking in one day, and no one bothered to come see why.  
  
The trip down was uneventful. Communication must have been slow. Mt. Hoploy had very few aerial Zoids—they could reveal the secret base too easily. That was why there were so many Command Wolf Patrol Units: security and recon.  
Kavid and Sifen managed to get some sleep, but I felt that I had had enough. Bruno wasn't really an engineer, just a shipment trucker for the Engineering Department, but he was quite the storyteller—or at least he thought so. He wasn't very old, but he'd seen his fair share of war. A couple of his tales were intriguing, especially one about some epic battle that started over a spilled shipment of pulif seeds, but I ignored most of his rambling.  
When the radar beeped, I saw it as my saving grace.  
"Well, I'll be! Looks like somethin' is out here after all." Said Bruno. "I was beginin' to think you were full of crap, Cap'n!" The snacking driver smiled and wiped poka chips from his mustache.  
"Kavid, Sifen, wake up. We may have found Katrana."  
Kavid groaned and rolled over, but Sifen sat up without even a yawn. These guys had been moving for far too long. Sifen switched right into strategy mode, though. "I suggest we leave the Gustav here and investigate with the PAC-Wolves, sir."  
Sifen was always too cautious, but this time, so was I. "Sounds good."  
"I got a load of them anti-Zoid rifles in the back there, Cap'n. Would you like to use 'em?" Suddenly, I liked Bruno a whole lot more.  
  
The blue skies were beautiful, but the wind was leaving its mark. A gray haze formed a ring around the horizon in every direction. Freshly blown sand crunched under the table-sized feet of our PAC-Wolves, but there was no need for stealth here. It was not possible on the vast open dunes. There was nowhere to hide, either for the attacker or the one under attack.  
A single object stood at a tilt on the southern horizon. My Zoid's database told me that it was an old Guylos Empire pre-fab Outpost Tower. It wasn't much bigger than the Helic pre-fab tower, but it had the look of the Empire built into it. It was always odd to me just how similar these two warring governments were.  
As we drew closer, we came across deeply buried sections of broken fence. The crunching of sand turned into the crunching of metal as our Zoids' paws stomped across the stripped and abandoned carcasses of Molgas, Rev Raptors and Hel Digunners entombed in the desert sand. Apparently the Empire had no desire to salvage their assets from this waste of an outpost, but someone else did.  
I flipped on my HUD-Comm. "Sergeant, any sign of PAC-Wolf 4?"  
Sifen's image appeared. "Negative, Captain. There are no readings of any Zoid life around this outpost." I cursed to myself. "I am reading small levels of electrical activity inside the tower, however. The beacon signal is also coming from inside the tower."  
"That tower would be a tight fit for a Command Wolf, don't ya think?" said Kavid. He was right. Maybe it was standing diagonally? "I recommend proceeding with caution, sir. Old defense systems could still be in active mode."  
I doubted it. "Looters had their way with this place long ago." I replied. "Let's get out and have a look inside that tower. Lieutenant Deen, check the opposite side of the structure and start a defensive patrol." Experience taught me not to ignore Sifen's advice. "But Kavid, keep a light foot."  
"Roger, Captain."  
I turned off my Comm and lowered PAC-1's head to the ground. Kavid didn't call me by name. Either he was still tired or really nervous.  
When my Command Wolf's canopy opened a gust of sandy wind nearly knocked me back into my seat. I picked the anti-Zoid rifle up out of the back of the cockpit, and jumped to the ground.  
The Guylos Outpost Pre-Fab Tower wasn't any wider than the Helic one, but it was a story taller. This one's surface was scratched by the desert winds, and it leaned at a ten-degree pitch to the northeast. But its holes and broken windows had been repaired, either with metal panels or sloppily hammered wood. Someone was trying to keep the air out.  
The front door was barred shut, and I was in no mood to try moving it. I leveled my rifle on my arm, aimed at the bar and fired. The explosion knocked the bar's halves to the ground. I kicked the door in.  
The inside of the tower was quite a surprise. It was obviously being used as a storage and repair shed for a small Zoid. A hydraulic platform laid to the right of the room, with big doors behind it. On the platform were the footprints of a Zoid, probably a Gun Sniper. Parts were scattered about, and a storage shelf for tools and ammunition stood to the left.  
But that wasn't the strangest site.  
"Sir," called Sifen from behind the repair platform, "over here."  
I walked over to him to find him standing next to a small oven, with burnt food and spilled water lying around. There had been a fight here.  
But that wasn't the strangest site, either. A transmitter was lying on the ground, with its power on full. This had to be the source of the tracking beacon. But the shock came from next to the transmitter.  
Katrana Sared's dead body was lying next to it. She had been shot.  
  
The sound of a loud metallic clang came banging into the building from outside. A Command Wolf's growl shook the walls. I dropped to the floor and Sifen ran behind a table. Another clang sound screamed in the building. What the heck was happening out there?  
I tapped my Wrist-Comm. "Kavid! Report!"  
"A Gun Sniper is shooting at me, Jeremy! I can't—!" Clang number three smacked him, and was followed by another clang that didn't come from didn't come from outside; it came from a shell ripping through the tower! The shot had ricocheted off of PAC-2 and flew into the pre-fab!  
"Kavid, can we get to our See-Dubs?" I barked. Sifen jumped up onto a table and looked out the new peephole.  
"Negative, Jeremy. I still haven't found him yet. I'm pretty sure he's firing from the southeast." A forth clang, but this time softer; Kavid was moving away from the tower.  
"The Lieutenant is running east." Said Sifen.  
Kavid's voice came screaming through the Wrist-Comm, "OKAY GO! NOW!"  
I ran for the busted front door and dropped the heavy Anti-Zoid rifle in the process. Kavid's PAC-2 was about fifty meters away, firing large twin bursts to the southeast. Sifen sprinted for PAC-3, and threw his rifle in ahead of himself.  
I dropped into the seat and pulled my helmet on. All systems started to activate as the Command Wolf's windshield began to close. Just as it clicked shut a gunshot smacked into the bottom of the transparent window. I jumped fiercely and hit my head on the top of the cockpit. If that shot had been a second earlier...  
"Twenty degrees southeast of here, at ten kilometers. I see the bastard now!" called Kavid. He hit his boosters and ran off at an obscene sprint towards the Gun Sniper. That son-of-a-....  
"Kavid, get back here! Kavid! Lieutenant Deen!" But it was too late. Kavid was totally pissed off and way too far ahead of me. Since my Wolf didn't have boosters, there was no way that I could catch him. But Sifen's did have jets.  
"PAC-3! Stop PAC-2, immediately!" I called.  
"Yes, sir!" responded Sifen. But with those two big flat-panel missile launchers blocking airflow on his Zoid, there was no way that he would catch Kavid, either, and Sifen knew it...but he was still the only chance I had.  
  
As PAC-2 and PAC-3 grew smaller and smaller, a rock formation to the southeast started growing bigger and bigger. I still had no visual confirmation of the Gun Sniper, but radar said it was out there, and man was it fast for a little GS.  
Radar showed PAC-2 close in on the Sniper, and soon after I could see flashes of white and red in the hazy horizon. After a few seconds the sounds reached my Zoid, and I could tell that Kavid was doing most of the shooting. The Gun Sniper was just making Kavid waste his ammo.  
Finally, the radar showed that the two Zoids had stopped, and were duking it out. Soon Sifen's Zoid entered the fray. It was like watching some simplistic video game of old, with the two red dots—PACs 2 and 3 dancing around the blue dot—the GS. Every weapon shot could be seen, pouring out from the little dancing dots, but they just couldn't stop each other from dancing.  
I finally closed in on the rock formation, and prepared to join the fight. Explosions were the only things to be heard, since Kavid had stopped answering my pleas long ago.  
Behind the formation was a cleared out section of desert, surrounded on three sides by towering rock walls. If this formation had been in an ocean, it would look much like a bay.  
A black, silver and gold Gun Sniper was running along the top of the eastern wall, as Kavid's blasts chased it. Sifen lobbed up a missile or two, but the GS was so fast it was dodging everything. I could see how, now. Booster jets were attached to the little monster's back legs. Very cunning.  
"Kavid, stop wasting your ammunition! He's too fast for you. Let's get this guy as a team!" I begged, "That's how we've always done it!"  
"Forget it, Jeremy. This little bastard thinks he can make a fool of me, then I gotta teach him who's the best!"  
I should have known. Kavid had always hated snipers of any kind. He preferred brawn over stealth any day. This Gun Sniper had been pegging him from a distance and making him look weak. He was just trying to regain his self-esteem. Damn.  
I moved PAC-1 into PAC-2's line of fire. "What are you doing, Jeremy?" barked Kavid.  
"We are a team, pal, whether you like it or not, whether we're in the Army or not. We swore that to each other a long time ago."  
"But he--!"  
"I know. But I need you, man. If I'm gonna take down Colonel Sared, I need you. I can't have you flipping out over some stupid Gun Sniper attack. Now let's kick this guy's ass but let's do it together. No buts."  
Kavid was silent, but I knew I had reminded him of a lot of things. A lot of things we swore to each other when we joined the Army together. When we went through Basic together. When we bribed the Placement Officer to put us in the same unit. We were a team.  
"All right, asshole, but we better win this."  
"Let's do it."  
  
The Gun Sniper had been walking along the top of the ridge, studying the delay in our assault. Sifen had been keeping an eye on it, though, so I wasn't worried.  
I flicked on my Comm. No need for secrecy here. "Fly Swatter Attack. Mode 2. Go!"  
The PAC-Wolves all howled in unison, hopefully confusing the heck out of the GS pilot.  
Then, they ran.  
They ran and ran as if in some crazy un-rehearsed panic attack, doing figure eights around each other and jumping each other when they ran out of room. The Gun Sniper seemed to ease its attack and stood a little taller to get a better view of this wild show. The Wolves kept frantically running and skidding and jumping all over the place. Had they gone mad?  
Then, the GS lowered its guns to help with the view.  
Bingo.  
My first shot sprang out of the Wolf dance, smacking the Sniper hard in the chest. The GS stumbled a few steps back, and Sifen fired up three missiles and destroyed the edge of the cliff it stood on. The ground came tumbling down beneath it, and as it fell, Kavid hit it with a series of shots. He never missed.  
The Gun Sniper crashed to the ground, and was buried by a pile of boulders.  
"Yes!" cried Kavid.  
"Yes, indeed." Said Sifen.  
"Way to go team. Confuse 'em, get 'em to lower their defenses, then POW!" I liked that trick. Too bad it only worked once on an enemy. Hadn't met any dumb enough to fall for it twice.  
Suddenly my Comm speakers turned on. As I frantically tried to shut them off, all I could hear was the sound of a laughing man. 


	6. Breaking Vases

Whoever was doing the accursed laughing knew how to manipulate Comm systems, that was obvious; there was no way to shut him off.  
I looked around the Bay of Rocks and couldn't see anyone or anything else but the PAC-Wolves and the wreckage of the Gun Sniper.  
Sifen beeped in over the laughing. "Captain! The Gun Sniper!"  
Dusty boulders that smothered the fallen Zoid rolled off as it stood up from its seemingly fatal crash site. It was dirty—really dirty—but totally unbroken.  
"Scan that thing!" I hoped my hunches were wrong.  
"Sir," said Sifen, "that Gun Sniper is totally constructed from Plasma Armor!" Damn. I was right.  
The laughing abruptly stopped. "Looks like you boys got the best of me. If this would've happened before I struck my deal with Colonel Sared, my Sniper'd be dead. But now...now we're equals." The Gun Sniper crouched down and opened its mouth very wide. "Or are we?"  
The inside of the GS' mouth began to glow purple, and the sniper tail opened up hidden vents. "This, my friends, is the Particle-Breaker Cannon, or as I like to call it, the Wave-Smacker! Enjoy!" Our foolish curiosity kept us from running, and as we stood there, the Sniper fired.  
A highly charged wave of purple energy flowed at an intense speed from the jaws of the GS and struck PAC-2 straight in the head. The Command Wolf's body began to glow a bright purple hue, and a web of cracks started to spread all over it.  
Then, it shattered.  
The Plasma Armor broke like a fallen vase, exploding outwards into the tiniest of pieces that scattered across the desert sand. Almost like a child's cartoon, Kavid was left sitting in mid-air, but soon fell ten meters to the ground. After his body hit the sand, he rolled over in pain.  
"KAVID!" I screamed. "Sifen! Nail that bastard, now!"  
My cannon pummeled the Gun Sniper while PAC-3's missile launchers opened and launched the last of its explosives. The GS was sent backwards into the cliffside; its head was embedded into the rock.  
As my Wolf lowered its head, I opened the canopy and leapt down. Kavid was still on his side in a fetal position. Thankfully there was little blood.  
"Kavid! Kavid, talk to me buddy!" I called, but he wouldn't move. He was still alive, but his clothing and skin were cut up from shards of broken Plasma Armor.  
"Captain Kelt!" called Sifen through a speaker, "We need to leave immediately!" I could hear rock crumbling behind me, and when I looked, the Gun Sniper was tearing itself out from the rock wall.  
"Keep it busy, Sifen!" PAC-3 opened fire on the GS, but it fired its boosters and flew off towards the arc of the Bay of Rocks. "Don't worry about finding me, PAC-Pilots. I'll find you!" called out the GS pilot as he flew away. Sifen carefully stayed between it and us.  
I picked Kavid up, and could hear his groans from the pain and felt him fight with me. "C'mon, Lieutenant. You're gonna be all right, just let me move you."  
I carried my friend over to PAC-1. After setting Kavid down, I opened the Storage Hatch and started throwing out anything that was in it. I carefully slid Kavid into the Hatch. He barely fit, and was groaning even more, but this was the only choice that I had; there was no room for him in the cockpit.  
As the canopy closed and the Command Wolf raised its body from the ground, I saw the Gun Sniper enter a cave at the back of the Bay.  
"What do we do now, sir?" asked Sifen.  
"We get Kavid out of here."  
With that, our two PAC-Wolves slowly walked back towards the abandoned Imperial Outpost.  
  
I opened the hatch, but when Bruno saw Kavid squished in there, he shoved me out of the way and carried him to the tower. I was too sore and tired to fight with him. And with a sandstorm building up, we needed to move fast.  
The Gustav had been parked next to the Tower while we were at the Bay of Rocks. Saltus had moved in a lot of supplies. I was thankful that he knew quite a bit about medical care. When you're a trucker, he had told me, you needed to know how to take care of yourself. He had seen the sandstorm building up and figured it would be more comfortable to be in the tower than in a Gustav.  
So did I, until I walked in.  
Katrana Sared was lying on a cot, wrapped in blankets and bandaged up.  
As soon as Sifen pulled the door shut, I opened up.  
"What the hell are you doing, Bruno? She's dead!"  
Bruno was slowly laying Kavid onto another cot and removing his uniform. "Don't you smart pilot-guys ever test someone's pulse anymore? She'd been shot all right, but she wasn't dead yet. She needed some first aid pretty bad."  
I could see that Sifen was even a little annoyed at Bruno. "We didn't exactly have a lot of time to check her." I explained, "That Gun Sniper opened up on us as soon as we found her."  
Bruno started cleaning and bandaging Kavid's wounds. "Yeah, I heard the shootin'. Kinda hard not to out here. That's why I came here, to see if I could help, but when I got here, you guys was already in the distance. Figured I'd see if anyone was hurt inside. And I found her." Bruno paused to sternly look at us. "Any of you guys shoot 'er?"  
I was too annoyed for this. "No Bruno, we didn't shoot her. We think the pilot of a black and gold Gun Sniper did."  
Saltus paused his work on Kavid and looked into empty space. "You say a black and gold one?"  
"Yes," said Sifen, curious about Bruno's pause, "It was actually black and silver with gold highlights. Have you seen it before?"  
"Nope." Bruno continued his work on Kavid, although slower now. "But I heard of 'im. They call 'im the Death Sniper."  
My groan was almost louder than Kavid's. "Death Sniper? Give me a break."  
"Continue." Said Sifen.  
"Well, the story is some battlefield scavenger from Guylos came across an old busted up Gun Sniper one day, got it workin', and fit it up with all the weapons he'd found scavengin'. Started doin' crimes with it, ya know. Guy actually turned out to be a pretty fair pilot and shooter. Started calling himself the 'Death Sniper.' Nobody could catch 'im. I know a few truckin' buddies who got zapped by that guy. Been wantin' to take a crack at 'im myself."  
"Do you know if his Zoid's armor is indestructible?" asked Sifen.  
"Indestructible? Don't think so. My bud Poto ran across 'im one day about a year ago, and managed to get a couple shots off. Says he blew the fink's left arm right off. Course, Poto still lost all his supplies to 'im."  
"He did say he wasn't invulnerable until he met the Colonel. Maybe that was less than a year ago?" theorized Sifen.  
"No doubt." I said. "Does anyone know where he lives?"  
Bruno had to think about that for a second. "I think someone said the Death Sniper works from Rockby, or Bayrock, or somethin' like that."  
"I guess that proves it." I took a drink of water. "This sandstorm will keep him off of us for a while, but it will make our lives miserable." I looked at Kavid. "Are you sure you can take care of him?"  
"I don't think so. The cuts ain't the problem. He's been burnt by somethin', maybe even radiation. He really should get to a hospital."  
The front door began to bang from wind gusts. "Well, until this storm dies, we're going nowhere."  
I really wished I hadn't said "dies."  
  
The tower creaked and panels chattered as the sandstorm blew. It was impossible to sleep through all the noise. My head was really hurting, and I was tempted to rip the cyberphonic implants out of my ears.  
Kavid was groaning and Sifen was coughing—it was getting hard for him to breathe in here. Katrana was—excuse the term—dead quiet. Bruno seemed okay, and served us some rather excellent meals made from his personal supply of rations. At least the oven worked, and there was plenty of water in a barrel.  
I noticed that the ceiling was constructed in rows, much like window blinds. I searched for some kind of control to open them, but found nothing.  
"Hey, Sifen. Have you noticed the ceiling?" I asked.  
"Yes sir. Cough."  
What do you think they're for?"  
"I would imagine they open either to—cough—provide room to raise something up, or lower something down."  
"Maybe that's where the Death Sniper keeps his weapons?" said Bruno. It made sense. Now I really wanted to see up there.  
Katrana groaned--it was the first noise we had heard her make all day—and rolled over. "Wh—? Where am I?"  
Bruno crouched down next to her and I stood behind him. "Here," he said, "Drink this." As she sipped, she looked up and saw me. She quickly turned away.  
"Captain Kelt." She weakly said.  
"I can't say I'm happy to see you, Katrana," I said with a stern face, "but I'm glad you're still alive."  
"You...you don't understand." She whispered. "I had to do what I did."  
"Really?" I could feel my temperature rise. "Did daddy make you do it, or did you do it all by yourself?"  
She turned to glare at me. "My father is a hero."  
"A hero?" I was ready to burst. "He set us up to die! What hero would send his soldiers out to get massacred by a Geno Saurer?" That last question was more to myself. Things were starting to click. Katrana let me think it out.  
"But we weren't supposed to get killed by that Geno Saurer, were we? He--the Geno--got impatient waiting for us and slaughtered those Shadow Foxes for fun. But Sifen sniffed him out. The Geno was supposed to...steal the PAC-Wolves? And you were sent to...stun us somehow. Am I right?"  
Katrana nodded her head. "Actually I was going to knock you out with poisoned rations."  
"Damn. But the Geno Saurer couldn't take us out, even with the CPG."  
"We failed to steal the Wolves, and I didn't want anyone getting hurt, so I convinced him to retreat. But I figured I had better shoot you a few times so he wouldn't get suspicious."  
"But he still must have gotten mad at you, because he shot you."  
"No."  
"No?" I was confused now.  
"No. He had been planning to kill me all along. When we got here, to his little fort, he destroyed the Geno Saurer--."  
"He what?" asked Sifen in disbelief."  
"Yes, he destroyed it. He has no need for it, believe me. Anyways, when we got here he saw his chance and took it, and shot me. But before he could bury me, you guys must have came." She looked down. "And saved me."  
"And saved you." I tapped Bruno's shoulder and he moved away. I crouched down in his place and looked her straight in the eyes.  
"Why?" I asked.  
"I—I can't tell you."  
I moved out of the way and pointed to Kavid. "Yes you can."  
She started to cry, and said, "My father is a hero."  
"I wish I could believe that."  
Katrana rolled over and closed her eyes while she cried. Bruno placed his hand on my shoulder. "Let her sleep."  
I stood up and walked over to Kavid. "Okay."  
  
If not for Bruno's super-powerful coffee—which he calls "petroleum"—I wouldn't have made it. Sifen was looking very weak, and although I had gotten more sleep than him, I knew I couldn't look much better. His coughing was almost constant.  
After about four hours the sandstorm finally broke. Sifen took position looking out the big peephole, and I took care of Kavid and Katrana. Bruno was outside trying to dig his Gustav out of the sand...  
Until he came running in the door. "Hey, you guys see that?" he asked.  
"See what?" I yawned.  
"One of your PAC-Wolves is runnin' towards us!"  
"Sifen?" I asked, boggled that he could miss such a thing. But when I saw him, he was leaning against the wall, hard asleep. I hated to do it, but I had to wake him up. "Sifen." I calmly said as I shook his shoulder. He awoke in a fright, but slowly, and painfully regained his wits. "Sorry, bud but we've got trouble." "Cough! Cough! Yes, sir." He looked out the hole and squinted. "Sir, it's PAC-Wolf-4." "What?" I didn't want to believe Bruno, but I had to believe Sifen. "Let's get to the Command Wolves. Bruno, get Kavid and Katrana into the Gustav." "Right away."  
  
The PAC-Wolves were ankle-deep in sand, but were still in decent shape. PAC-1 still looked a bit burnt and cracked from the CPG blast, but the sand didn't do any more harm. We had reloaded some of their ammunition with what we found in the tower, and even found a couple of usable missiles for PAC-3. As soon as we walked around the tower, PAC-4 was in range and started shooting at us. But its shots were slow and sloppy. It had obviously been tourned into a sleeper. The problem with sleepers is the fact that they don't stop attacking until their target is destroyed. And now, we had an indestuctible one shooting at us. No matter how many times we knocked it down, it just got back up and started shooting again. It was very, very annoying. "Sifen," I asked his image on my HUD-Comm, "Do you have any ideas on how to stop this thing?" "Only one, sir. The rescue lever." Of course. The rescue lever was able to pop open the canopy and allow access into the cockpit—in emergencies of course. Well, this seemed like an emergency. "Corporal, use your missiles to hit it hard right next to me. I'll jump out and get into the cockpit and detatch the Sleeper AI Box." "Sir, at the most the PAC-Wolf will be stunned for about fifteen seconds." "Then I'll make sure I'm really, really close." I smirked and flicked off the Comm. The next time PAC-4 lethargically attacked Sifen, I was ready. PAC-3 nailed it hard with the missiles, and it landed perfectly next to PAC-1. "Great shot, Sifen!" Five seconds. I jumped down from PAC-1. Ten seconds. The soft sand made climbing up onto the head difficult. Fifteen seconds. I had just grabbed the lever when the Wolf growled and stood up. It tried to shake me off, but I had a good grip on it. I yanked the lever and the canopy slowly opened. The Zoid really started hopping and shaking now, and I couldn't stay on much longer. I hunched over the cockpit's side and grabbed the AI Box. Using what little strength I had left, I ripped the box off of the seat and broke the cables. PAC-4 immediately settled down. What a ride. As I threw the AI box to the ground, I saw a dust trail racing across the desert dunes. I climbed into PAC-4's cockpit and used the HUD to magnify the image. It was just what I was dreading. "Sir!" called Sifen, "The Death Sniper is approaching the Imperial Tower!" The fight with PAC-4 had moved us pretty far from the Outpost. The Sniper's strategy was obvious now. I turned on the Comm to Bruno's Gustav. "Bruno, the Death Sniper is approaching you. Keep it busy until we can get closer." "No can do, Cap'n. The Gustav is still buried too deep. I ain't goin' nowhere." "Then use your Anti-Zoid rifles!" "Oh yeah, I got plenty of them. Roger." It was too late. The little Gun Sniper reached the tower and the rear doors opened for it, groaning as they pushed the sand away. The GS whipped its tail around and backed into the tower. Using the magnification on the HUD, I could see the ceiling's blinds opening up. Robotic arms came down and removed the Gun Sniper's missile launchers. Larger arms lowered down a massively upgraded and customized Wild Weasel Unit onto the GS. It was full of weapons, including gattling cannons, Geno Saurer cannons and missile pods. More arms reached down and attached a multitude of other weapons all over the Death Sniper's body, including Elephander cannons, Shield Liger cannons and even more missile pods. The end result was an obscenely over-armed little Gun Sniper that had doubled its size—just with weapons. The Death Sniper stomped out of the Tower, and Bruno started shooting at it, but he did no harm. The walking arsenal turned towards the PAC-Wolves, and opened fire. Never in my life had I seen so many laser blasts and missiles flying in my direction. Cannons thundered, gattling guns roared and missile launchers shreiked. PAC-4 began shaking terribly from the onslaught, and I could see PAC-1 fall over and PAC-3 hunch down from the shock. A Charged Particle Blast was stronger, no doubt, but it didn't shake this much. When the barrage stopped, my ears were ringing horribly. The desert wind quickly blew all the smoke away. When it cleared, the Death Sniper was gone. "Captain," called Sifen, "Cough--Are you all right?" "Yeah, Sifen, I'm all right. Thank goodness for Plasma Armor, right?" My sarcasm was painfully obvious. Then, the laughter started again. "I see you, Captain of the Republic. Can you see me?" I frantically looked at every horizon, but saw only open dunes and blowing sand. "I have enjoyed our encounters. Even that stupid fight in the Geno Saurer. You pilots have been quite the challenge." "Don't mock us, mercenary. Come out and fight!" I beckoned. My scanning system went crazy as the Death Sniper de-cloaked right behind Sifen. Its mouth was glowing purple. "Sifen! Eject! NOW!" PAC-3's cockpit swung up and Sifen rocketed into the air on a pillar of smoke. Less than a second later, the Wave-Smacker hit the red Command Wolf, cracked it, and shattered it into a billion pieces. The Death Sniper was laughing louder than ever as Sifen parachuted down to the desert floor. "Three down, one to go! Heehee!" PAC-4's cannons opened up on the Gun Sniper, but nothing was breaking. All those loose cannons and missile launchers, and nothing would break! Firing its boosters, the GS came straight at me, firing a random pattern and pummeling my Wolf without end. I tried to evade, but the Death Sniper followed, and I didn't get very far before PAC-4 was sent sliding across the sand on its side. The DS opened up another volley of fire, and nearly rattled my teeth out. Indestructible or not, I couldn't take much more of this. Warning lights activated when the Wave-Smacker started charging. 


	7. Game Over

Losing your sense of indestructibility is a lot like the first time you fall in love. You're no longer an independent, self-serving machine that can take on the world. You need somebody. You want somebody. You'd do anything, give up anything to have another person with you at that moment.  
My Command Wolf was half-buried in the ground, and the only weapon in the world that could destroy me was ready to fire, just meters away.  
I really needed somebody.  
And they came.  
PAC-Wolf-1 smashed headfirst into the side of the Death Sniper and knocked off its aim. The Particle-Breaker Beam went astray and hit a shiny silver panel attached to the side of the Outpost Tower. The beam reflected off the panel and fired off across the desert dunes.  
The Death Sniper toppled over, and with all that weight on it, it was going to have a heck of a time getting back up. Using all the strength the PAC-Wolf had, I dug it out of the ground and ran towards the Outpost Tower, with PAC-1 right behind me.  
"Great job, Sifen!" I cheered. "You really saved my ass that time!"  
"Oh, did I?" But it wasn't Sifen's voice. It was Katrana's!  
"Katrana? What are you doing in PAC-1? How did you? I mean, you're injured, I thought..."  
Her image appeared on the HUD-Comm. "Yeah, I'm injured, and it hurt like heck to ram that Gun Sniper, but I'm here."  
"How did you get to PAC-1? You're in no condition to cross a desert."  
"Bruno drove me over and helped me in. The Gustav is right behind us."  
"Bruno? How did--?" I looked behind me, and she was right. Bruno's silver Gustav was right behind us...his shiny silver Gustav...  
"That's between me and Bruno, 'Cap'n'." she smiled. I didn't want to know anymore about that. My mind was buzzing, but I still had other questions.  
"Is Sifen okay?"  
"Yeah, we picked him up."  
"Good." I got a bit more serious. "How much do you know about that Wave-Smacker thing?"  
"Quite a bit, actually. I helped develop it."  
I was feeling hopeful. "How does it work?"  
"It's actually the device that turns basic metal into Plasma Armor."  
I was confused. "What?"  
"If you fire it at normal armor at the proper levels, it breaks the armor's particles down and when the levels are slowly lowered, they recombine at a sub-atomic level, making them stronger than ever thought possible."  
"Go on."  
"But if you supply too much energy to the particle breakdown, it will shatter the metal like broken glass. That is how the Death Sniper is destroying the PAC-Wolves. He's overcharging the particle breakdown."  
"How did the Death Sniper get a hold of the device?"  
"It was his required payment from my father. For his help in capturing the PAC-Wolves, the Death Sniper demanded the ability to make his own Plasma-Armored Zoids and weapons. But apparently, he's developed it into a weapon instead."  
I was in shock. "What could possibly make your father decide to give the Death Sniper such a powerful device?"  
"I—I can't tell you." I'd heard that before.  
The PAC-Wolves reached the Tower and spun around. Bruno's shiny silver Gustav soon came rolling past us. The Death Sniper was almost upright again.  
"I did notice one thing about the beam, Katrana."  
"Ugh." She was hurting. "What's that?"  
"It can be reflected."  
She was quiet for a second, and then said, "If it's overcharged then yes, yes it can."  
  
Once the Gustav was in position, and Sifen was in the cockpit of PAC- 4, and I was back in PAC-1, we were ready. I only hoped my geometry skills were still good.  
"Ready to risk it all, Kellar, my old friend."  
"Yes, Jeremy. I am ready." I'd never heard him call me Jeremy before.  
The Death Sniper was stomping towards us, and his constant growling told me the pilot was really mad. But I also noticed he wasn't firing at us. He must have used up all his ammo. Even better.  
"You stupid fools! You humiliate me by knocking me over, then stand there waiting for me to come destroy you. What do you have in mind? You must have some sort of plan. Why else would you still be here?"  
"That's for you to find out, Dork Sniper." I was shocked to hear Sifen say that!  
"As you wish."  
The Gun Sniper fired its boosters and started hailing us with blasts. Apparently it wasn't out of ammunition. I broke right in PAC-1 and Sifen broke left. As expected, he followed me, but I managed to stay just out of harms way. I ran around until I was running straight for PAC-4 and broke left. Sifen hit him good with a few shots.  
The Death Sniper now took notice of Sifen and started shooting at him. My Zoid ran up right behind the little black arsenal and did something I never thought I'd ever do: PAC-1 chomped down on the Death Sniper's tail.  
"What the--?" screamed the pilot. I was really humiliating him now. I pulled hard at him but he was just too heavy. At least he couldn't move. Sifen flanked him from the right, and I could really hear the Death Sniper scream.  
The Sniper fired its jets and broke my grasp on him. Making a short arch he u-turned and started back at us. We ran off in opposite directions, but again, he went after me.  
I started a circular run around the Death Sniper, and it shut off its jets and dropped to the ground. Turning in a slow spin it tried to shoot me, but I kept just one step ahead of it's blasts. That opened him up for the next trick. Sifen ran at him from behind, jumped up, landed on him and then leapt off of the Wild Weasel Unit's radar dish. That looked like fun, so when the DS started shooting as Sifen, I did the same thing.  
"I'll destroy you, you worthless morons! I am the most invincible Zoid pilot on all of planet Zi! AAARRRGGGHHH!"  
I figured he was mad enough by now, so I moved into position.  
Time to play dead.  
I let him chase me until he was just about in position, then...I let him shoot me. PAC-1 rolled across the sand and stopped moving. Quite the performance. The Death Sniper walked up to investigate, and stopped exactly where we wanted him.  
"Hah! Thought this was all a little game, didn't you? Well, time to pay the price of admission!"  
The Death Sniper opened its mouth and started charging the Wave- Smacker. He was so intent on shooting me, he didn't see PAC-4 walk up behind him, chomp his tail, and pull.  
The Wave-Smacker beam fired from his mouth, but missed PAC-1 by only a couple of meters. The beam hit the metal panel on the Outpost tower and reflected off right towards Bruno's Gustav. PAC-4 let go of the tail and ran off as the beam ricocheted off of the Gustav's shiny silver body, flew across the desert dunes and slammed into the Death Sniper.  
"NOOOOO!" screamed the Death Sniper pilot as his Zoid glowed with its own destructive energy. Its massive array of weapons finally begain to break as the Plasma Armor cracked, and the Zoid exploded in a sparkling purple shatter.  
The pilot fell to the ground just like Kavid did, and was writhing in pain.  
PAC-1 walked up to him, lowered its head and I dropped out. Throwing off my helmet I walked up to the pilot, who was still conscious, although in agony.  
I kneeled next to him, and all I could think to say was a punch line:  
"Game over." 


	8. Fall From Glory

It took two days to reach Mt Hoploy. We wanted to avoid the Outpost and go around the ridge. The Gustav, now with a big burn-mark on its side, was very cramped. The cockpit wasn't made for six people. Sifen and I eased the troubles by sleeping in the PAC-Wolves. And we slept a lot.  
Kavid and the Death Sniper pilot were getting worse. The Particle- Breaker blast may not have killed them, but it was killing them.  
The pilot's I.D. identified him as Namor Bruticus, but that was probably a fake name. He was a thief, after all. He was a bony fellow who desperately needed a shower. I didn't want him to die, mind you. Just pay the price of admission.  
  
A squadron of Storm Sworders was the first to see us approaching the mountainside. They circled us and asked for identification, but when we remained silent they called in the ground support.  
A lot of ground support.  
Dozens, if not hundreds of Shield Ligers, Command Wolves, Raynos', Gun Snipers, Gunblusters, Dibisons and Cannon Tortoises cut off our ascent up the slope. These guys weren't taking any chances.  
Fortunately for everybody, we surrendered peacefully. We didn't come back to battle.  
Once we reached the base, Kavid, "Namor" and Katrana were sent to the Emergency Room. Sifen, Bruno and I were quickly locked up in cells. I knew we would have to wait.  
But he would see us. He had to see us.  
  
Three days later, Colonel Sared finally called Sifen and I into his office.  
The inside of the office looked much different this time. The medals and pictures were removed from the walls and shelves and were packed into boxes. The Colonel still had his liquor supply, though, right by the desk.  
Katrana stood behind her father, looking much stronger, but sad. Surprisingly Kavid was sitting on a chair by the desk, fully awake, but looking weak and tired.  
"Ah. The heroes of Mt. Hoploy." Said the Colonel. His tone was darker than before. He took a drink. "I suppose I need to thank you for saving my daughter's life?"  
"That was Bruno Saltus' decision," I coldly answered, "Not mine."  
"Then I shall thank Mr. Saltus at a different time." His stress level was rising.  
"Do you know how long I've been in the Helic Republic's Army, Captain Kelt?"  
"I believe about forty years, sir."  
"Forty-three years, eight months and seventeen days." Katrana placed her hand on his shoulder. "And do you know how long it has been since I've received an award of any kind from the Army?"  
"No s--."  
"Twenty-two years, three months and five days." He set his glass down and his eyes began to water. "Do you know what 'Washed Up' means, Captain Kelt?"  
"Yes sir, I believe I—."  
"No. No you don't. You think you do, but you don't. When you spend half of your career failing again and again at receiving any kind of recognition for your achievements, then you get re-assigned to some pointless out-of-the-way military base, then you'll know."  
I wasn't sure if I should say anything.  
"The Plasma Armor was to be my crowning achievement for the Helic Republic. The one thing that would get my name remembered for the rest of time, to get my picture placed in school books for children to be read about...AND YOU TOOK THAT AWAY FROM ME!" He smashed his glass into the wall and started to breathe heavier. "Do you know how that feels?"  
Now it was my turn. "Your precious Plasma Armor is useless, Colonel! Oh, it's powerful all right, but it can be broken. Even you know that!"  
"THAT WAS EXACTLY THE POINT!" he roared as he stood up.  
I was too confused to say anything.  
"The Death Sniper had agreed to steal the Plasma Armor. He was then going to sell it to the Empire! Once all of their Zoids had been energized with it, they would attack!" He saw the doubt in my eyes. "Of course they would! They would think they were invincible! Why wouldn't they attack? Then, when all seemed hopeless for the Republic, I would reveal the Particle-Breaker Cannon and wipe out the Empire in one fail swoop! I would be the hero of the Republic! I would have saved the day!" The Colonel smiled, but started shaking. "Who knows, maybe they would have even made me President!" He hunched over and his eyes glared right through me. "But now... NOW I HAVE NOTHING!" He hammered his desk repeatedly and Katrana tried to settle him.  
I couldn't believe what I just heard. All the suffering that my Command Wolf Unit--the Orion Unit--had suffered through these last few days, was all because an old man wanted to be a hero. He was fighting for his country, all right, but for the wrong reasons.  
"Colonel, I didn't take your glory from you, you threw it away."  
He looked hard at me and asked, "What are you talking about?"  
"If you had made this an official Army mission it might have worked. Instead, you worked with a mercenary and endangered your men, just so you could get all the glory. You took a brilliant plan and threw it away BECAUSE YOU'RE JUST A GREEDY OLD MAN WHO'S LOST HIS PRIDE!"  
Colonel Sared tried to think of something to say but couldn't. He sat back down in his chair and Katrana started crying.  
"Get out." He said.  
"Excuse me?"  
"Get out. Get out of my office, get out of the Army, get out of the whole damn country."  
"So we're free to go?"  
"Yes, you're free. As long as you keep your mouths shut about this whole affair. If one word leaks out about this..."  
I looked the Colonel straight in the eyes and said, "That's for you to decide, Colonel. I've had enough. But if you're the great leader and hero you claim to be, you know the answer."  
With that, I helped Kavid up and started towards the door. But then I remembered, "What about Bruno?"  
"Take...take him with you. And that Private Mansod, too. Get out."  
Katrana's eyes were weeping, but she managed to smile at me and wink.  
  
I winked back. 


	9. Epilogue

The five of us, the Castaways of the Republic, as we called ourselves now, crossed the border into the Guylos Empire four days later. Bruno's Gustav was in sad shape, but could still run. We had to abandon the trailers two days ago, however, to keep it going. Although the Particle-Breaker Beam had reflected off of the Zoid's surface, it absorbed enough of the energy to weaken it significantly. We drove into a town called Orator and parked outside the local pub. After a few drinks, we began to talk. "How are you feeling, Kavid?" asked Mansod. "Have you ever imagined what it feels like to have your skin instantaneously and completely ripped off, Mansod?" replied Kavid. "Uhh...no." "Don't." We laughed at that and drank a little more. "How many more rations do we have, Bruno?" inquired Sifen. "About two days worth. You guys eat like pigs. One of us had better find a job." "Problem is," I said, "is we can't get a job without a Zoid, and we can't get a Zoid without a job." "Yup." As we sat there thinking and drinking, a big, muscular and uniformed man entered the pub and stood in the doorway. "Attention patrons of this pub!" he bellowed, "I'm Lieutenant Garrok of the Guylos Imperial Army. We're looking for new recruits at this time. Would any of you be interested in joining the Emperor's Army?" My friends and I all looked at each other, smiled, lifted our mugs and said: "Cheers!" 


End file.
